A) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic keyboard instrument with a key driver, and more in detail, an electronic keyboard instrument with a musical keyboard including plurality of keys and a key driver to drive each key interlocked with reproduction of automatic performance data.
B) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an electronic keyboard instrument that equips a musical tone generator and a keyboard including plurality of keys, executes automatic performance by driving the musical tone generator based on the automatic performance data and drives each key interlocked with the reproduced automatic performance is well-known (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent H08-335079).
It takes some time from providing the performance (key-driving) event to a key-driving circuit until a key is driven (to be in a condition of being pressed). When the performance event is provided to both of the key-driving circuit and the musical tone generator at the same time, generation of key movement and sound disagree, and it brings discomfort. Therefore, in the above-described electronic musical instrument, disagreement of generation of the key movement and the sound is prevented by providing the performance event to the musical tone generator after a predetermined time after providing the performance event to the key-driving circuit.
In the conventional electronic keyboard instrument with a key driver, a timing adjustment process is executed while reproducing the automatic performance data, and it is difficult to execute a so-called quick start. The “quick start” is a reproducing method in an automatic performance for reproducing a predetermined period of performance data at high speed when there is a predetermined space or an event relating to an initial setting other than a performance event (note-on and off-event) relating to sound at a beginning of the performance data and starting reproduction at a normal speed from the first performance event. For example, when there is performance data having a plurality of tracks and when a part of the tracks is used for key driving, the performance event is reproduced at high speed until the first appearing performance event of the plurality of the tracks. Then, when reproduction is executed at normal speed from that performance event, and when the performance event is used for also key driving, the performance event is provided to the key-driving circuit and to the musical tone generator after the predetermined time after providing to the key-driving circuit. However, when the performance event is not used for key driving, and when the performance event is provided to the musical tone generator after the predetermined time, reproduction start will delay for the predetermined time, and it cannot be called “quick start”.